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Philip Rose | |
|---|---|
| Born | Philip Rosenberg (1921-07-04)July 4, 1921 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 2011(2011-05-31) (aged 89) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Producer |
| Spouse | |
Philip Rose (July 4, 1921 – May 31, 2011)[1] was aBroadway theatrical producer of such productions asA Raisin in the Sun,The Owl and the Pussycat,Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?,Purlie, andShenandoah. His work was particularly notable for its social insight and distinctive social conscience.
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Philip Rose was bornPhilip Rosenberg on the Lower East Side ofManhattan, to Russian Jewish parents.[2] As a young man, he earned money singing at weddings and funerals and later worked briefly as a bill collector. His family moved toWashington, D.C. during theGreat Depression and he began working at 16 for many of the local stores in the area.
While working in mostly black neighborhoods, he ended up going into people's homes and was accepted by some of the families forming personal friendships. It was there that he learned aboutGospel music andJazz. Washington, D.C., at the time, was asegregated city, but he found ways to spend time with friends he made there. He attributed this experience with segregation as having changed his life. His father, Max Rosenberg, always expressed himself differently on racial matters than the people in the neighborhood. He was very critical of racism and this made a lasting impression on the young Rose.
In 1945, after arriving inNew York City, Philip Rose toured with an opera company. He was in aGilbert & Sullivan company inGreenwich Village where he met his wife, actressDoris Belack. Shortly afterward, he began touring for a whole season doing musicals. Rose went toHarlem and began to singjazz. He became instantly involved in theCivil Rights Movement. While inHarlem, he got to know struggling black artists includingWilliam Marshall, who was one of the few black actors to have a career.William Marshall was among the artists Philip Rose invited to his apartment for a meeting concerning theMississippi lynching ofEmmett Till. When he decided to produceA Raisin in the Sun for Broadway, the first person he called wasSidney Poitier, not just because he wanted him to play the lead, but also because he had no idea where to begin in the casting process.Sidney Poitier got an attorney for him, and assisted him in the whole process, They remained good friends until Rose's death.
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Philip Rose, in his work and his life, struggled against racism and discrimination in all its multifarious forms and disguises. He has observed that though racism has been extant in numerous contexts, it began inAmerica as a business proposition:Slavery. The social consciousness of the work he has produced reflects his own perceptive, empathic consciousness.
In two anecdotes relating toRaisin in the Sun, he pointed out that in 1959, the year the play was first produced, there was a man seated in the best seat in the house (fourth row center). This man asked at intermission to change his seat. There did not appear to be a problem with the seat and the house was completely sold out. The man was permitted to stand in the back of the theater. Rose went to the man's seat and noticed that there was a black couple on either side of the seat he had occupied. This man preferred to stand at the back of the theater for the entire performance rather than in the best seat in the house situated between two black couples, an interesting commentary on the irrationality of prejudice.
Also, whileRaisin in the Sun was touring Washington D.C. Near the end of the play,Walter Lee Younger says:
"We have decided to move into our house because my father — my father — he earned it for us brick by brick.".[3]
Philip Rose was honored in 1995 with theActors' EquityRosetta Lenoire Award for "being an innovator in the theater" and for showcasing "a vast and rich array of actors and playwrights and for exposing Broadway audiences to a world of diversity."[2] InOssie Davis'Purlie Victorious and the musicalPurlie, the issue wasracism; InShenandoah, the issue was war; inSun Flower, the issue waswomen's rights; and inMy Old Friends, the issue was old age.[citation needed]
Rose was an innovator innon-traditional casting too. In 1964, he cast the black actressDiana Sands oppositeAlan Alda in the two-character comedy/love storyThe Owl and the Pussycat. When fellow producerAlexander Cohen requested that the script be rewritten for Diana Sands, Philip Rose stated, "She's doing it exactly as it is written — a woman who falls in love." After the opening, Cohen acknowledged, "I was all wrong."[2]The Owl and the Pussycat became aBroadway hit, running for 428 performances.[4]
Philip Rose died inEnglewood, New Jersey on May 31, 2011, aged 89. His wife, actressDoris Belack died later that year, on October 4, 2011.[5]
Produced by Philip Rose; Executive Producer: Philip Rose May 15, 1990 - Jul 1, 1990
Produced by Philip Rose; Executive Producer: Philip Rose April 22, 1990 - May 20, 1990
Directed by Philip Rose; Book by Philip Rose August 8, 1989 - September 2, 1989
Produced by Philip Rose August 4, 1988 - December 31, 1988
Directed by Philip Rose October 15, 1987 - October 17, 1987
Directed by Philip Rose; Associate Produced by Philip Rose; Book by Philip Rose November 10, 1983 - December 4, 1983
Directed by Philip Rose; Book by Philip Rose Dec 20, 1979 - Jan 27, 1980
Directed by Philip Rose Apr 12, 1979 - May 27, 1979
Directed by Philip Rose; Produced by Philip Rose May 10, 1978 - May 13, 1978
Produced by Philip Rose Jan 4, 1977 - Mar 5, 1977
Produced by Philip Rose Sep 27, 1976 - Oct 18, 1976
Directed by Philip Rose; Produced by Philip Rose; Book by Philip Rose Jan 7, 1975 - Aug 7, 1977
Directed by Philip Rose; Produced by Philip Rose; Book by Philip Rose Dec 27, 1972 - Jan 7, 1973
Directed by Philip Rose; Produced by Philip Rose; Book by Philip Rose March 15, 1970 - November 6, 1971
Produced by Philip Rose Feb 25, 1969 - Mar 29, 1969
Directed by Philip Rose; Produced by Philip Rose Nov 6, 1967 - Nov 25, 1967
Produced by Philip Rose Feb 25, 1966 - Feb 26, 1966
Produced by Philip Rose Nov 18, 1964 - Nov 27, 1965
Produced by Philip Rose Apr 17, 1964 - Apr 18, 1964
Produced by Philip Rose Dec 19, 1963 - Jun 20, 1964
Produced by Philip Rose Feb 19, 1963 - Mar 9, 1963
Produced by Philip Rose May 19, 1962 - Sep 15, 1962
Produced by Philip Rose Sep 28, 1961 - May 12, 1962
Produced by Philip Rose Mar 10, 1960 - Mar 12, 1960
Produced by Philip Rose Mar 11, 1959 - Jun 25, 1960
